NO163908B

NO163908B - PROCESSING TEA AND DEVICE FOR RECOVERY OF LIGHT BEAMS.

Info

Publication number: NO163908B
Application number: NO861709A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Hans Kulander
Original assignee: Mrt System Ab
Priority date: 1985-04-30
Filing date: 1986-04-30
Publication date: 1990-04-30
Also published as: EP0200697A3; FI861651A0; NO861709L; DK165429C; EP0200697A2; SE444582B; DK183186D0; ATE69330T1; FI861651A; DE3682316D1; FI85781B; NO163908C; SU1658834A3; JPS62116685A; EP0200697B1; US4715838A; FI85781C; DK165429B; SE8502103D0; DK183186A

Abstract

A method for recovering the luminescent material from a mercury vapour electric discharge lamp, or like lamps, in which the ends of the lamp bulb or tube are separated from the intermediate bulb part (22) subsequent to equalizing the pressure in the lamp. The luminescent material (30) is loosened from the inner wall surface of the bulb part (22) with the aid of a stripping device (27) which is arranged to be inserted into the bulb part (22) from one end (26) thereof, and in which the loosened material is collected with the aid of a suction device (25) connected to the other end (23) of the bulb part. The invention also relates to an arrangement for removing and collecting the luminescent material, this arrangement comprising the aforementioned stripping device (27) in the form of a stripping head (29) mounted on one end of a rod (28), and the aforementioned suction device (25) is capable of being connected to one end of the bulb part (22). The rod (28) is arranged to move the stripping head (29) backwards and forwards in the bulb part (22), the stripping head (29) being guided in a manner to form an annular gap between the head and the wall of the bulb part. The luminescent material is loosened by the amplified air stream passing through the gap.

Description

Den foreliggende oppfinnelse angår en fremgangsmåte The present invention relates to a method

til gjenvinning av lysstoffet fra lysstoffrør eller lignende, samt en anordning for fjerning og oppsamling av lysstoffet. for recycling the fluorescent substance from fluorescent tubes or the like, as well as a device for removing and collecting the fluorescent substance.

I det fluoriserende skiktet i lysstoffrør inngår kvikk-sølv som en nødvendig bestanddel. Dette medfører at brukte lysstoffrør må håndteres på en egnet måte, slik at lysstoffet ikke skal forårsake skader på flora og fauna. Den opprinnelige fremgangsmåten med å deponere avfallet i naturen er således normalt forbudt av myndighetene. Selv lagring i kontrollerte former innen lysrørindustrien har ført til problemer på grunn av den store avfallsmengde som må håndteres og overvåkes. The fluorescent layer in fluorescent tubes contains mercury as a necessary component. This means that used fluorescent tubes must be handled in a suitable way, so that the fluorescent substance does not cause damage to flora and fauna. The original method of depositing the waste in nature is thus normally prohibited by the authorities. Even storage in controlled forms within the fluorescent tube industry has led to problems due to the large amount of waste that must be handled and monitored.

En praktisk metode ble imidlertid tatt i bruk for en del år siden. Den innebar at de kasserte lysrør ble malt, hvoretter glasskårene med vedheftet lysstoff ble plassert i et behandlingskammer for avdestillering av kvikksølvet. Behandlingen foregår satsvis i en tett beholder som tilføres nitrogen, opphetes og settes under vakuum, hvorved kvikksølvet avgis i dampform gjennom en bunntilslutning og kondenseres i en kuldefelle. Fremgangsmåten som beskrives i svensk utlegnings-skrift 7804104-3 separerer kvikksølvet meget effektivt, men langsomt, ca. 9 timer pr. behandlingssats på 120 1. Dette gjør at metoden er kostbar og dermed vanskelig å innføre på alle destruksjonsanlegg eller andre bedrifter som har et behov for å behandle kasserte lysrør. However, a practical method was put into use a number of years ago. It meant that the discarded fluorescent tubes were painted, after which the glass shards with attached fluorescent material were placed in a treatment chamber to distill off the mercury. The treatment takes place in batches in a sealed container which is supplied with nitrogen, heated and placed under vacuum, whereby the mercury is emitted in vapor form through a bottom connection and condensed in a cold trap. The procedure described in Swedish design document 7804104-3 separates the mercury very efficiently, but slowly, approx. 9 hours per processing rate of 120 1. This means that the method is expensive and thus difficult to introduce at all destruction facilities or other companies that have a need to process discarded fluorescent tubes.

Et formål med den foreliggende oppfinnelse er derfor An object of the present invention is therefore

å skaffe en fremgangsmåte til gjenvinning av lysstoffet fra lysstoffrør, slik at den mengde lysrøravfall som må behandles i destillasjonskamre kan minskes, hvilket skulle øke kammerets kapasitet regnet i antall lysrør/døgn. Dette realiseres ved at lysstoffet eller lyspulveret på glassrørets innside fjernes fra glasset Og plasseres separat i destillasjonskammeret, to provide a method for recycling the fluorescent substance from fluorescent tubes, so that the amount of fluorescent tube waste that must be processed in distillation chambers can be reduced, which should increase the chamber's capacity calculated in terms of the number of fluorescent tubes/day. This is realized by removing the fluorescent substance or light powder on the inside of the glass tube from the glass and placing it separately in the distillation chamber,

mens det tiloversblevne "rene" glassrøret da ikke behøver å oppta plass i kammeret. Et annet formål er å skaffe en anordning for effektiv fjerning og oppsamling av nevnte lyspulver. Ytterligere hensikter og fordeler med oppfinnelsen fremgår while the remaining "clean" glass tube does not need to take up space in the chamber. Another purpose is to provide a device for the efficient removal and collection of said light powder. Further purposes and advantages of the invention appear

av den etterfølgende beskrivelse. De oppnås gjennom de kjenne-tegn som angis i patentkravene. of the following description. They are achieved through the characteristics stated in the patent claims.

Oppfinnelsen vil nå bli beskrevet nærmere med henvisning til tegningen, på hvilken: fig. 1-3 er oppriss av et lysstoffrør under de innled-ende faser av en metode i henhold til oppfinnelsen, The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which: fig. 1-3 are elevations of a fluorescent tube during the initial phases of a method according to the invention,

fig. 4 er et lengdesnitt gjennom rørdelen til lysstoff-røret i henhold til fig. 1-3 og en anordning for å løsne lysstoffet, fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the tube part of the fluorescent tube according to fig. 1-3 and a device for releasing the phosphor,

fig. 5 viser rørdelen i henhold til fig. 4 med lysstoffet fjernet, fig. 5 shows the pipe part according to fig. 4 with the phosphor removed,

fig. 6 viser en beholder for avdestillering av kvikk-sølv, og fig. 6 shows a container for distilling off mercury, and

fig. 7 er en del av snittet på fig. 4 i forstørret måle-stokk . fig. 7 is part of the section in fig. 4 in an enlarged measuring stick.

De lysrør som behandles i destruksjonsanlegg etc. er vanligvis utbrente, men forøvrig hele. Oppfinnelsen er spesielt egnet til behandling av slike lysrør, og et eksempel gis på basis av den etterfølgende, trinnvis oppstilte fremgangsmåte som skjematisk gjengis på fig. 1-6. The fluorescent tubes that are processed in destruction facilities etc. are usually burned out, but otherwise intact. The invention is particularly suitable for treating such fluorescent tubes, and an example is given on the basis of the subsequent, step-by-step method which is schematically reproduced in fig. 1-6.

a) For å unngå implosjoner punkteres lysrørene 11, hvilket hensiktsmessig skjer ved at en boremaskin 12 anbringes a) In order to avoid implosions, the light tubes 11 are punctured, which conveniently happens by placing a drilling machine 12

for gjennomboring av kontakten 13 på lysrørets ene ende. for piercing the contact 13 on one end of the light tube.

b) Ved glassrørets ender risses på en hensiktsmessig måte spor 14,15 med kniver 16,17. c) Sporene 14,15 oppvarmes hurtig med glassflammer 18,19 slik at glasset sprekker og lysrørendene 20,21 kan fraskilles. b) At the ends of the glass tube, grooves 14,15 are scored in an appropriate manner with knives 16,17. c) The tracks 14,15 are quickly heated with glass flames 18,19 so that the glass cracks and the fluorescent tube ends 20,21 can be separated.

d) Den gjenstående rørdel 22 kobles med sin ene ende d) The remaining pipe part 22 is connected with one end

23 til et munnstykke 24 på en egnet sugeanordning 25 (ikke 23 to a nozzle 24 on a suitable suction device 25 (no

vist). Gjennom den andre ende 26 innføres et avstrykingsorgan 27 i form av et stempel 28 med et hode som styres slik at en luftspalte på bare noen få millimeter dannes mellom hodet og glassveggen, hvorved lyspulveret 30 suges bort av den forsterkede luftstrøm som dannes omkring hodet 29 og oppsamles i sugeanordningen 25. shown). Through the other end 26, a wiping device 27 is introduced in the form of a piston 28 with a head that is controlled so that an air gap of only a few millimeters is formed between the head and the glass wall, whereby the light powder 30 is sucked away by the enhanced air flow that forms around the head 29 and is collected in the suction device 25.

e) Den rensede rørdel som ikke lenger er forurenset e) The cleaned pipe section which is no longer contaminated

av kvikksølv fjernes for eksempelvis å brukes om igjen. of mercury is removed to, for example, be reused.

f) Lysrørsendene 20,21 og det oppsamlede lyspulveret plasseres i et behandlingskammer 31 for avdestillering av f) The fluorescent tube ends 20,21 and the collected light powder are placed in a treatment chamber 31 for the distillation of

kvikksølv på kjent måte. mercury in a known manner.

Gjennom denne metode kan således rørdelen 22 tas ut Through this method, the pipe part 22 can thus be removed

av prosessen før destillasjon, hvilket innebærer at avfall fra ti ganger så mange lysrør kan behandles i en destillasjon, sammenlignet med rørene som tidligere skulle knuses og med-følge sluttrensingen. For at denne forbedrede prosess totalt skal gi et like bra resultat som tidligere, må det dog sørges for at utsugingen av lyspulveret i henhold til punkt d) blir så effektiv at så godt som 100% av lyspulveret kan tas hånd om. Dette oppnås imidlertid med avstrykingsorganet i henhold til oppfinnelsen, idet dette bare behøver å føres én gang frem og tilbake i rørdelen for at nevnte krav skal oppfylles. of the process before distillation, which means that waste from ten times as many fluorescent tubes can be processed in a distillation, compared to the tubes that previously had to be crushed and accompanied by the final cleaning. In order for this improved process to give as good a result as before, however, it must be ensured that the extraction of the light powder according to point d) is so effective that as much as 100% of the light powder can be taken care of. However, this is achieved with the wiping device according to the invention, as this only needs to be moved back and forth once in the pipe section in order for said requirements to be met.

Det viste avstrykingsorganet 27 omfatter som nevnt et hode 29 anbragt på et stempel 28 som kan drives frem og tilbake ved hjelp av en lineærmotor 32. Hodet 29 er formet som en dobbelt kon med to koniske mantelflater 33,34, som utgår fra et felles sirkulært midtstykke 35. Mantelflåtenes helningsvinkel er 20-40°, fortrinnsvis 30°, av grunner som fremgår av det følgende. Midtstykkets 35 diameter er valgt slik at en luftspalte 36 på 0,1-0,3 mm, fortrinnsvis 0,2 mm, dannes mellom hodet 29 og glassveggen 37. Videre skal både stempelet 28 og hodet 29 være så lette som mulig. For eksempel kan stempelet være laget av et tynnvegget stålrør og hodet av "teflon" eller lignende. Denne lette og spesielle utførelse medfører at hodet vil sveve fritt under selvsentrering i røret. Videre innebærer .valget av helningsvinkel og spalte 36 at det kan frembringes en meget sterk luftstrøm gjennom gjennom spalten med en sugeanordning som har en forholdsvis lav effekt. Prak-tiske forsøk har således vist at et 1,6 m langt lysrør med en diameter på 26 mm, rengjøres effektivt med en normal indu-stristøvsuger på 650 W. Herved løsnet 95% av lysstoffet når stempelet ble ført inn og de resterende 5% ved uttrekkingen. The wiping device shown 27 comprises, as mentioned, a head 29 placed on a piston 28 which can be driven back and forth by means of a linear motor 32. The head 29 is shaped like a double cone with two conical mantle surfaces 33,34, which proceed from a common circular middle piece 35. The angle of inclination of the mantle rafts is 20-40°, preferably 30°, for reasons that appear from the following. The diameter of the middle piece 35 is chosen so that an air gap 36 of 0.1-0.3 mm, preferably 0.2 mm, is formed between the head 29 and the glass wall 37. Furthermore, both the piston 28 and the head 29 must be as light as possible. For example, the piston can be made of a thin-walled steel tube and the head of "Teflon" or similar. This light and special design means that the head will float freely during self-centering in the tube. Furthermore, the choice of angle of inclination and slit 36 means that a very strong air flow can be produced through the slit with a suction device which has a relatively low effect. Practical tests have thus shown that a 1.6 m long fluorescent tube with a diameter of 26 mm is cleaned effectively with a normal industrial vacuum cleaner of 650 W. In this way, 95% of the fluorescent substance was released when the piston was introduced and the remaining 5% at the time of withdrawal.

Oppfinnelsen er ikke bare begrenset til det beskrevne eksempel på utførelsen, men kan varieres på flere måter innen-for rammen av de etterfølgende patentkrav. Således kan, i visse tilfeller, lysstoffet brukes om igjen eller deponeres, isteden for å behandles i et destillasjonsanlegg. The invention is not only limited to the described example of the execution, but can be varied in several ways within the scope of the subsequent patent claims. Thus, in certain cases, the phosphor can be reused or deposited, instead of being processed in a distillation plant.

Claims

1. Procedure for recycling the fluorescent substance from fluorescent tubes or the like, characterized in that the pressure in the light tube is increased to essentially atmospheric pressure, in that the ends (20, 21) of the light tube with the corresponding contact are separated from the tube part (22), that the mercury-containing fluorescent material (30) on the inside of the tube part is released from it by with the help of a wiping device (27) arranged to be introduced through one end of the pipe part (26), and that the released fluorescent material (30) is collected by means of a suction device (25) connected to the other end (23) of the tube part.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the fluorescent material (30) is released by suction through a gap (36) formed between the wiping member (27) and the pipe wall (37).

3. Method according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the increase in pressure in the light tube occurs through the creation of a hole in one of the light tube's contacts (13) and that the ends of the light tube (20,21) are separated by rice- sing and subsequent local heating.

4. Device for removing and collecting fluorescent material from fluorescent tubes or similar, characterized in that a wiping device (27) is arranged to release the fluorescent material (30) from the inside of the tube part (22) of the fluorescent tube with a suction effect, and a suction device (25) which can be connected to one end of the tube part (22) to produce said suction effect and to collect loose fluorescent material.

5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the wiping device (25) comprises a head (29) placed on a piston (28) and that the piston (28) is designed to move the piston head back and forth in the pipe part (22).

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the head (29) is controlled in the tube part (22) in such a way that an annular air gap (36) is formed between the head (29) and the tube wall (27) with a size chosen so that said suction effect is achieved.

7. Device according to claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the head (29) has a conical mantle surface (33,34) for self-centering of the head in the pipe part (22).

8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the angle of inclination of the mantle surface is 20-40°, preferably 30°, and the width of the air gap 0.1-0.3 mm, preferably 0.2 mm.